The New Book That Scares Big Tech artwork
Plain English with Derek Thompson

The New Book That Scares Big Tech

Sep 8, 2026 · 59 min

In the late 19th century, a railroad boom fueled by easy money, speculative investment, and new technology helped kick off one of the worst financial crises in American history. Sound kind of familiar? In today’s episode, Derek talks with author Liaquat Ahamed about his new book, '1873,' and the similarities between the railroad mania of the 19th century and today’s AI boom. They discuss America’…